Self-Sealing Joint Sealing System

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/479,969, filed Sep. 20, 2021, which claims benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional App. No. 63/080,078, filed Sep. 18, 2020, both of which are incorporated herein in their entireties by specific reference for all purposes.

This invention relates to an integrated self-sealing joint sealing system for sheathing and structural panels.

In various exemplary embodiments, the present invention comprises an integrated self-sealing joint sealing system that is incorporated into the factory edges of a sheathing panel prior to installation at a job site. The integrated self-sealing joint sealing system eliminates the need to secondarily apply tapes or similar fluid-applied sealants, as the joints will become sealed when mated and installed next to adjacent sheathing panels. The system of the present invention may be used with panels that do not have an integrated WRB membrane or layer, as well as with panels that do have an integrated WRB membrane or layer.

The invention works with a variety of joint types, including, but not limited to, shiplap joints, tongue-and-groove joints, bead-and-cove joints, and butt joints. In several embodiments, as shown in the figures, the joint comprises a bead-and-cove or cove-and-cove type joint, with corresponding joint profiles machined on corresponding edges of adjacent panels, or a cove-and-butt type joint. This type of joint increases the surface area for sealants to form a watertight and airtight seam. As compared to a shiplap joint, the joint described herein reduces or eliminates the overlap areas of the joints, thereby enabling placement of fasteners (e.g., a nail, screw, staple, or the like) within or through full thickness panel edges, and thus more securely into framing members on which the panel is mounted. Placement of fasteners within two half-thickness portions of the panels (such as with a shiplap or similar overlapping joint), rather than a single full-thickness panel edge, will reduce in-plane shear strength (e.g., shear wall racking).

In several embodiments, all four edges of a panel have a corresponding joint profile. For example, two adjacent edges of a panel will have a bead profile, and the opposite edges will have a cove profile, although other configurations are possible. A compressible sealant, adhesive or gasket material is applied to surfaces in one or both profiles at the factory during the manufacturing process. During field installation, the matching corresponding joint profiles are placed together so the sealant material is compressed, forming a complete joint.

Wall and roof sheathing and structural panels may consist of, but are not limited to, plywood, oriented-strand board (OSB), other forms of manufactured wood, paper board, foam, gypsum, and glass mat. Sheathing panels typically are produced in nominal sizes of 4′×8′, 4′×9′, 4′×10′ or similar dimensions (panels may be undersized by approximately ⅛″ to allow for proper spacing). Examples of manufacturing processes for siding and structural panels are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/803,771, filed Nov. 7, 2017, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by specific reference for all purposes. Wall sheathing is typically installed on the outside of a building's exterior envelope and may or may not be structural in design.

Building codes typically require that a weather or water-resistive barrier (WRB) layer be applied to this sheathing layer prior to installation of exterior cladding. WRBs have traditionally been applied on the jobsite following the installation of the wall sheathing. The WRB membrane is typically sold in long rolls and fastened to the sheathing panels. The membrane will span multiple adjacent sheathing panels and is installed in a manner as to provide top over bottom (i.e., “shingling”) and side overlaps to allow water to run from one layer to the next without entrapment. The WRB membrane, once installed, is often left vulnerable to wind and weather which may cause damage to the membrane. Field-installed WRB membranes also are difficult to properly air seal to meet building exterior air barrier requirements. Examples of WRB membranes are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/365,731, filed Nov. 30, 2016, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by specific reference for all purposes.

To address some of the problems of field-applied membranes, a new generation of products have been developed which have the WRB membrane or layer factory applied to the wall sheathing. These integrated products are fastened to the wall framing in a similar manner to the sheathing products listed above. In order to complete the system as a WRB, all of the panel joints must be sealed. The most common sealing method used currently consists of seam that are applied so that the center of the tape width aligns with the center of the panel joint and therefore covers all nails used to fasten the sheathing along the panel edges. Other sealing systems include fluid-applied sealants that may or may not use a reinforcing mesh. These sealants function similar to tape as they are applied to the center of the panel joint and extend over the panel edges to cover the nails used to fasten the sheathing to the wall framing.

Proper installation of the tape and/or fluid-applied sealing systems is a critical step in the WRB assembly, and time and care must be taken to ensure a durable, long lasting, sealed joint. As panel joints are lengthy, it is often challenging for installers to ensure tape alignment, and multiple corrections made during installation may compromise the system. Proper adhesion of the tape or fluid-applied sealant to the sheathing is another critical performance element, and is often negatively impacted by dirt and moisture on the jobsite along with variable temperature and humidity. Many tapes used also require adequate pressure to bond the adhesives (pressure sensitive tapes), which can be challenging for installers that are often working above ground with limited mobility. All of these installation and product variances described necessitate the need for a more robust joint sealing mechanism.

In various exemplary embodiments, the present invention comprises an integrated self-sealing joint sealing system that is incorporated into the factory edges of a sheathing panelprior to installation at a job site. The integrated self-sealing joint sealing system eliminates the need to secondarily apply tapes or similar fluid-applied sealants, as the joints will become sealed when mated and installed next to adjacent sheathing panels. The system of the present invention may be used with panels that do not have an integrated WRB membrane or layer, as well as with panels that do have an integrated WRB membrane or layer.

The invention works with a variety of joint types, including, but not limited to, shiplap joints, tongue-and-groove joints, bead-and-cove joints, and butt joints. In several embodiments, as shown in the figures, the joint comprises a bead-and-cove or cove-and-cove type joint or a cove-and-butt type joint, with corresponding joint profilesmachined on corresponding edges of adjacent panels. This type of joint increases the surface area for sealants to form a watertight and airtight seam. As compared to a shiplap joint, the joint described herein reduces or eliminates the overlap areas of the joints, thereby enabling placement of fasteners(e.g., a nail, screw, staple, or the like) within or through full thickness panel edges, and thus more securely into framing memberson which the panel is mounted. Placement of fastenerswithin two half-thickness portions of the panels (such as with a shiplap or similar overlapping joint), rather than a single full-thickness panel edge, will reduce in-plane shear strength (e.g., shear wall racking).

In the embodiments shown in, all four edges of a panelhave a corresponding joint profile. For example, two adjacent edges of a panel will have a bead profileand the opposite edgeswill have a cove profile, although other configurations are possible. A compressible sealant, adhesive or gasket materialis applied to surfaces in one or both profiles at the factory during the manufacturing process, or during a secondary or post-manufacturing process at the factory, prior to installation in the field. During field installation, the matching corresponding joint profilesare placed together so the sealant materialis compressed, forming a complete joint.

shows an example of a bead-and-cove joint with sealant materiallocated between the corresponding joint profiles, with the sealant material compressed after installation on the framing member.shows an example of a cove-and-cove joint by corresponding cove joint profilesbeing formed. Approximate location of the fasteners after installation is indicated by broken lines

The sealant(which may be in the form of a backer rod or strip extending for all or substantially all of the length of the edge of the respective panel) is secured by adhesive or glueinto the cove (the circular or rounded space) on one panel edge profile, while a pressure sensitive adhesive is applied to the opposite bead or cove on the second panel edge profile. Alternatively, an adhesive with a peel-off release liner may be applied to the second panel edge profile. The sealant and/or adhesives may be applied at a factory during the manufacturing process or as a secondary or post-manufacturing process, and are delivered as such to the installation site. During installation, the pressure sensitive adhesive bonds to the backer rod on the adjacent panel, thereby forming a watertight and airtight seam.

In several embodiments, the back or bottom shoulder of the cove (for a cove-and-bead joint) or one or both coves (for a cove-and-cove joint) may extend further than the upper shoulder, thereby acting as spacer to ensure a gap is maintained between the panels on the outer face during installation. Alternatively, a spacer may be machined into the middle or one or both cove profiles.

shows an example of a modified bead-and-cove joint. The upper shoulder of the cove profileis open to the upper surface of the panel, while the bottom shoulderextends outward. The sealant materialis adhered in the factory in the cove space, and in this embodiment does not extend beyond the bottom shoulder. During installation, the bead profileof the adjacent panel presses into the adhesive material in the cove space, forming the watertight and airtight joint.

shows an example of a cove-and-butt (or flat) joint, where the cove profilewith sealant materialis as described above, except that the sealant is in tubular or rod form, forming a circle or rounded in cross section (and extending some or all of the length of the panel edge), so that a portion extends beyond the face of the bottom shoulder of the cove profile (i.e., some of the cove space is left unoccupied). The upper edge of the sealant material lies below the surface of the panel, which protects the sealant material from damage during storage and shipping of the panels. During installation, the butt/flat edgeof the adjacent panel presses into the sealant material, forcing it back and into the cove space, and above the surface of the panel and the upper surface of any WRB membrane or layer, forming the watertight and airtight joint.

shows a rectangular form of a cove-and-butt joint, where the cove profileis rectilinear with a bottom shoulderwith an upper surface extending substantially orthogonally to the vertical face of the edge (and thus substantially parallel to the upper surface of the panel), and contains a similarly rectilinear sealant material. The rectilinear sealant material is adhered to the panel edge along the long vertical face. It may also be adhered to the horizontal portion of the bottom shoulderin some cases. The upper edge of the sealant materialmay lay just below the surface of the panel, which protects the sealant material from damage during storage and shipping of the panels. The outer edge of the sealant material extends beyond the outer edge of the bottom shoulder of the panel edge face, so that compression caused when the butt/flat edgeof the adjacent panel presses into it, forces the sealant material back and up into the open cove space and above the surface of the panel and the upper surface of any WRB membrane or layer, forming the watertight and airtight joint.

The amount of sealant material depends onshows an embodiment where both panels are 7/16″ thick, with the bottom shoulder ⅛″ in width. However, as there are variations in panel thickness due to the manufacturing process, the upper end of allowable thickness for a 7/16″ OSB panel is typically 0.469″ (i.e., 0.0315″ thicker than the target thickness of 0.4375″). To ensure that the sealant materialextends above the upper or outward facing surface of the panels after assembly, the sealant material needs to extend at least 0.0126″ wider than the width of the bottom shoulder. Preferably, it may extend even wider, thereby creating more pressure when installed to provide a tight seal when being compressed together.

shows another example of a bead-and-cove joint with sealant materiallocated between the corresponding joint profiles, with the sealant material compressed after installation (framing member not shown). In this embodiment, the bead and cove elements are positioned closer to the outer (upper, in the figure) face of the panels, and the uncompressed sealant material in a rectilinear form in cross-section except for the portion inserted into the cove element. During installation at the proper spacing, the sealant material extends to the upper faces or slightly above the upper facesof the panels, and does not extend to the bottom facesdue to the higher offset. This configuration ensures the outer (upper) portion of the gap between the panels is filled with the sealant material.

shows a similar bead-and-cove joint with sealant material, but in this embodiment the uncompressed sealant material is in a circular, curved, elliptical or ellipsoidal form in cross-section, with one rounded end inserted into the cove element, and the other rounded end facing away from the cove element. During installation at the proper spacing, the sealant material extends to the upper facesor slightly above the upper faces of the panels, and does not extend to the bottom face due to the higher offset, for the reasons discussed above.

shows a modified bead-and-cove joint, where the bottom shelf or shoulderof the cove element extends outward a distance equal to the desired spacing, or outward a distance so when it contacts the corresponding part of the bead element, the spacing on the outer surface is the desired spacing (e.g., ⅛″ for some embodiments). The uncompressed materialmay have the form of the material in(shown is the same form as in), and during installation, the sealant material extends to the upper faces or slightly above the upper faces of the panels. While the material form is the same as or similar to the form of the material in, the amount of material needed is less because the bottom shelf of the cove element prevents or restricts movement of the material toward the back side of the joint.

shows a variation of the cove-and-cove joint, where the materialis placed so that it does not extend fully into the coves in an uncompressed state. During installation at the proper spacing, the sealant material extends to the upper faces or slightly above the upper faces of the panels, and does not extend to the bottom face.

shows a variation of the modified joint of, where the sealant material does not fully fill the modified cove (i.e., the upper shoulder of the cove profileis open to the upper surface of the panel, while the bottom shelf or shoulderextends outward). During installation at the proper spacing, the sealant material extends to the upper faces or slightly above the upper faces of the panels, and does not extend downward due to the shoulder. As with the configuration of, the bottom shelf or shoulder of the cove element extends outward a distance equal to the desired spacing, or outward a distance so when it contacts the corresponding part of the bead element, the spacing on the outer surface is the desired spacing (e.g., ⅛″ for some embodiments).

shows a variation of the modified joint of, where the bottom shelf or shoulder of the modified cove element is curved, and the sealant material fits within this curve to fill the bottom section of the cove. As with the configuration of, the bottom shelf or shoulder of the cove element extends outward a distance equal to the desired spacing, or outward a distance so when it contacts the corresponding part of the bead element, the spacing on the outer surface is the desired spacing (e.g., ⅛″ for some embodiments). During installation at the proper spacing, the sealant material extends to the upper faces or slightly above the upper faces of the panels, and does not extend downward due to the shoulder.

shows a variation of the modified joint of. The sealant material is offset slightly higher and the sealant material extends outward slightly further, and during installation extends to the upper faces or slightly above the upper faces of the panels, and does not extend downward due to the shoulder. As with the configuration of, the bottom shelf or shoulder of the cove element extends outward a distance equal to the desired spacing, or outward a distance so when it contacts the corresponding part of the bead element, the spacing on the outer surface is the desired spacing (e.g., ⅛″ for some embodiments).

The sealant material may comprise any compressible water-resistant or waterproof sealing material, including, but not limited to, one or more of the following materials: closed-cell polyethylene foam, a polyurethane foam, a hybrid bicellular polyethylene foam, or a butyl sealant.

The present invention provides a number of significant advantages and benefits over the prior art methods of secondary installation of seam tapes or fluid-applied sealants. The factory-installed sealant system and elimination of tape or fluid-applied sealant results in a significant reduction in both materials, labor, and associated jobsite waste. Horizontal joints with the prior art systems are of critical concern as failure in the taped joint or fluid-applied sealant may shuttle water into the joint and wall cavity behind. The gasket material applied continuously to the edges of the sheathing joints largely will be protected by the sheathing face after installation. Therefore, it will not be impacted negatively by UV degradation and impacts and abrasions common in construction that may damage tapes and fluid-applied sealants applied to the outside of the wall sheathing.

Thus, it should be understood that the embodiments and examples described herein have been chosen and described in order to best illustrate the principles of the invention and its practical applications to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited for particular uses contemplated. Even though specific embodiments of this invention have been described, they are not to be taken as exhaustive. There are several variations that will be apparent to those skilled in the art.